Garment holder or rack.



A. JOHNSON.

GARMENT HOLDER OR RACK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1 910.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

alter/nu;

A. JOHNSON,

GARMENT HOLDER OR RACK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1910.

975,246. Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ALFRED JOHNSON, F QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

. GARMENT HOLDER 0R RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed June 3, 1910. Serial No. 564,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment Holders or Racks,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a garment holder or rack of that type which will hold an overcoat or jacket in such a manner that the wearer can readily slip into the same without the necessity of another person holding the overcoat or jacket.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be readily adjusted for persons of diiferent heights, and effectively hold a coat open and in position to be readily put on.

Another object of the invention is the employment of novel coat-supporting arms which can be folded close against the wall or swung outwardly to outstanding or 0perative position.

A further object of the invention is the em loyment of an improved sup ort on whlch the arms are foldably mounted.

With these objects in-view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the inyention, Figure l is a perspective view of the adjustable form of rack. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another form of rack. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing the ad justing means in the rack shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of the spring catch for holding the arms in outstanding position. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one end of the adjustable arm supporting bar.

Similar reference'characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a vertical supporting bar which is fastened at its ends by screws 2 or equivalent devices to a wall or other support, the said bar being set out from the wall at all points except the ends. Mounted on this support 1 is a horizontal rod or bar 3 that extends behind and across the bar 1 but is clamped thereto 1n any Vertical position of adjustment by a set screw 4 which passes through a short piece of metal 5 riveted to the center of the bar 3, the said piece 5 being offset at its center to form a guide through which the supporting bar extends. Mounted in the guide is a clamping member 6 interposed between the screw and supporting bar 1, so that the screw will not mar the latter. To hold the clamping member in place, the ends thereof are bent over a nut 7 which is threaded on the screw. By this connection, the horizontal bar can be raised or lowered on the vertical bar so as to support an overcoat in its proper posit-ion, according to the stature of the person who is to wear the overcoat.

On the ends of the horizontal bar are outwardly-extending coat-holding arms 8 that are in the form of metal strips that have their forward extremities curved downwardly, and on each arm is a curved leaf spring 9 to form a clamp for gri ping the collar portion of the overcoat. Tlie arms 8 are spaced far enough apart so that the ends of the collar can be engaged under the springs 9 to thereby hold the coat spread upon. While the coat is supported in this manner, the wearer can readily slip into the same and then, moving away from the rack, the spring-gripping devices will release their hold. The arms 8 are mounted on the bar 3 in sucha manner that they can fold backwardly and inwardly toward each other and thus take up less room, and for this purpose the rear ends of the arms are connected ]by pivots 10. with the extremities of the In order to prevent the arms from folding outwardly beyond a position at right angles to the bar 3, the latter has its extremities bent upwardly and inwardly to form horizontal ears 11 and shoulders 12 between the said ears and the extremities of the bar. The inner ends of the arms 8 are disposed under these ears 11, so that when the arms are thrown outwardly, they will strike the shoulders 12 and be held in outstanding position. To prevent the arms from accidentally folding inwardly, spring catches 13 are fastened to the cross bar 3 in such a manner that they will engage the edges of the arms opposite from those edges that engage the shoulders 12. Each catch oomprises a fiat spring 14 that bears against the top of each car 11 and is held thereon by the rivet or bolt 10, and on the free end of this spring is a plate that has a downwardlycurved lip 16 under which the adjacent arm 8 can pass. In opening the arm, the same engages the curved lip and causes the spring to yield upwardly until the arm is fully open, and then the lip engages behind the arm and prevents the same from closing. The plate 15 is formed with a flange 16, which bears against the front edge of the ear 11 so that the catch will not turn on the bolt or pivot 10 as a center.

On one or both ends of the supporting bar T 1 may be arranged garment hooks 17 that will be secured in place by one of the screws 2, and on these hooks may be supported coats, hats and other apparel.

The rack, just described, is suitable for public places such as restaurants, where different persons will use the rack, but where the same person is intended to use the rack, as for instance, in a home, the rack may be H constructed as shown in Fig. 2, as it is unnecessary to vertically adjust the coat-supporting arms. -The arms are pivoted between L-shaped bracket members 18 oppositely disposed to each other and secured to v the wall or other support, and on the upper members are fastened the spring catches 13 for holding the arms in outstanding position, and, if desired, garment hooks can be fastened to the brackets, as shown at 19.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention'appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to "be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A device of the class described comprising a pair of'spaced' coat-supporting arms, means for mountin the arms tofold inwardly, stops for limiting the outward movement of the arms, and spring catches cooperating with the stops to normally hold the arms in outstanding position and arranged to yield as the arms .move to and from said position.

2. A device of the class described comprising outstanding arms, supporting means for the arms, spring member's fastened on the arms to cooperate therewith for holding a garment, pivots for mounting the arms on the said supporting means, and spring catches held in place by the pivots and ar- 'a garment.

4:. A device of the class described comprising a horizontally-disposed bar, a support on which the bar is mounted for vertical adjustment, garment-holding arms pivotally mounted on the ends ofcthe bar and carried thereby, stops for limiting the out ward movement of the arms, and yielding devices mounted on the bar to cooperate with the stops to hold the arms in outstanding position.

5. A device of the class described comprising a vertical supporting bar, a cross bar adjustably connected with and extending from opposite sides of the supporting bar, the ends of the cross bar being bent laterally to form ears and stops, garment-holding arms pivotally connected with the ears and arranged to engage the stops when the arms are in outstanding position,and spring catches'mounted on the ears to yieldingly engage the arms.

'6. In a device ofthe class described, the combination of a pair of supporting members arranged in fixed spaced relation, an arm having one end extending between the members for supporting a'garment, a pivot extending through the members and arm and a spring catch for yieldingly engaging the arm, said catch consisting of a leaf spring held against one of the members by thesaid pivot, and a curved lip connected with the spring to engage the said arm for preventing accidental movement thereof.

7. In a device of the classdescribed, the combination of a pairbf supporting members arranged in fixed spaced relation, an arm having one end extending between the members for supporting a garment, a pivot extending through the members and arm and a spring catch for yieldingly engaging V the arm, said catch consisting of a .leaf spring held against one of the members by the said pivot,'and aplate fastened to the spring, said plate having a curved lip for engaging the arm and also having a flange for engaging the member to which the spring is fastened to prevent turning of the spring on the said pivot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

WM. A. KONANTZ, LoUIs H. BERGER. 

